The Bozeman Symphony invites audiences to revel in sweeping melodies and heartfelt expression at Romantic Splendor: Schumann & Schubert, featuring acclaimed cellist Jonathan Swensen. Performances will be held Saturday, March 21st, at 7:30pm, and Sunday, March 22nd, at 2:30pm. Both will be held at the Willson Auditorium in Downtown Bozeman.
Swensen, one of today’s most compelling young cellists, takes center stage in Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A Minor, a work as poetic as it is unconventional. Rather than separating the concerto into distinct movements, Schumann allows the music to unfold in one seamless arc, creating an intimate, almost dreamlike journey. The concerto opens with a rhapsodic, improvisatory character before giving way to a deeply lyrical middle section and a spirited, virtuosic finale.
The program also features Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great,” a monumental work that showcases the composer’s gift for expansive melody and rhythmic drive. Unusually ambitious for its time, the symphony stretches the boundaries of the classical form, unfolding on a grand scale with soaring themes and vibrant energy. Schubert’s admiration for Beethoven is evident throughout, including subtle musical nods that connect this symphony to the great tradition that inspired it.
Swensen has earned international recognition as a rising star of the cello. He is the recipient of a 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and shared First Prize at the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition. Named Musical America’s ‘New Artist of the Month’ and highlighted as ‘One to Watch’ by Gramophone magazine, Swensen has appeared with leading orchestras across Europe and the United States, including London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center. He currently serves as an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.
Performances will be held March 21st–22nd at the Willson Auditorium in Downtown Bozeman. Individual tickets are available for purchase online at www.bozemansymphony.org or by phone at (406) 585-9774. Tickets at the door based on availability. Tickets begin at $30 with student-discounted tickets available.
These concerts are made possible through the generous support of sponsors The Dovana Foundation, Calum & Tricia DeSouza, Bob & Donna Ritchie, Bruce & Kimberlie Jodar, and Dennis Wentz, MD, & Anne Colston Wentz, MD. •
